Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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211. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the new measures his Department had put in place to ensure the safety of Irish diplomats serving abroad, particularly in Israel, Palestine and Iran; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34439/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The safety and security of the staff of my Department is an absolute priority for me.

My Department has been closely engaged on the concerning situation in Iran and the continuing conflict between Israel and Iran.

In relation to our diplomats in Iran, I became increasingly concerned about the operational environment for our Embassy there, and the ability of our diplomatic staff to perform their functions safely. In light of the deteriorating situation, following consultations with my officials and in close consultation and coordination with EU partners, I decided to temporarily relocate our personnel from Tehran.

This was not a decision that I took lightly. Arrangements are in place for the Embassy to continue its operations from Dublin. Staff at my Department's headquarters have assumed the Embassy's consular functions and remain in contact with the small number of Irish citizens remaining in Iran. These arrangements will continue until it is possible for our personnel to return to Iran.

We have significantly enhanced our security capacity and arrangements in light of threat assessments in various locations. For operational security reasons I do not propose to outline the detail of these measures.